Fluid mixing devices



April 18, 1961 c. L. BARKER FLUID MIXING DEVICES Filed Feb. 25, 1958 FIGI.

CZ lFFO W1) A B/WKER 2,989,333 Patented Apr. 18, 1961 FLUID MIXING DEVICES Clitford L. Barker, Chelt-enham, England, assignor to Walker, Crosweller & Company Limited, Cheltenham, England Filed Feb. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 717,501 Claims priority, application Great Britain Feb. 26, 1957 3 Claims. (Cl. 23612) This invention has reference to fluid mixing devices of the kind wherein two separate streams of fluid at different temperatures (such as hot water or steam and cold water) are adapted to be fed into the device through corresponding inlets and, after passing through a valve which determines the relative proportions of the two streams flowing therethrough, to be mixed in a chamber in which a thermosensitive element is housed so that the said element is influenced by the temperature of the resulting mixture and, as a consequence, is adapted to alter the setting of the valve and thereby vary the said relative proportions should the temperature of the mixture depart from a preselected value.

Mixing devices of this kind are well known and are in wide use for supplying water at a desired temperature to wash hand basins, baths, showers and similar sanitary installations. However, should a device develop a fault as a consequence of corrosion, excessive wear, the presence of solid foreign matter which prevents the proportioning valve from functioning correctly, or for any other reason, the installation may be put out of commission until it is possible to obtain the services of a plumber or other skilled workman capable of remedying the fault. In many instances, such services are not readily available or, if they are available, it may not be possible for the workman to correct the fault quickly and easily, much to the annoyance and inconvenience of the user of the device, particularly if the said device is installed in the sanitary installation of a private dwelling house.

The principal object of the present invention is to overcome or minimise the possibility of a mixing device being put out of commission for any considerable period as a consequence of the development of a fault in its operative component parts.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which: v

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a 'fluid mixing device, and

Figure 2 is an exploded view, partly in section, of the device shown in Figure 1.

i The device shown in the drawing is intended for mixing a streamof hot water with a stream of cold water to provide a mixture which is at any preselected temperature within maximum and minimum limits.

The device comprises a base 1 having two coaxial and V tapped'inlet passages 2, 3, of which the outer ends open to opposite sides of the base so that a cold water supply Thecrown of the base is of cup shape and an annular pipe (also lip 4 projecting. upwardly from and located concentrically of the floor of the cup, forms a well 5 in the bottom of which there is a concentric port 6 which opens to the interior of the well and the inner end of the pasage 2. A second port 7 formed in and eccentn'cally of the bottom of the well, opens into the interior of the well and a the inner end of the other passage 3.

The mouth of an inverted cup-shaped cover 8 sockets into the mouth of the base 1 and the cover is detachably secured to the said base in any known and convenient manner (not shown). The interiors of the cup-shaped crown of the base and of the cover form a mixing chamber 9 from which the discharge orifice opens and in which a unit, comprising a fluid-proportioning valve 10 and a thermosensitive element 11, is detachably mounted.

The fluid proportioning valve consists of a cylindrical spigot 12 which serves as the inner and non-rotatable member of the valve and a ported sleeve 13 which is a rotatable fit around the spigot and serves as the moveable member of the said valve.

The spigot is provided at and around its lower end with an enlarged diameter portion 14 of which the upper edge serves as a seat for the adjacent lower edge of the sleeve 13.

The lower end face of the spigot is provided with a co-axial extension 15 and a blind fluid inlet passage 16 formed in and concentrically of the said extension, extends through the extension and along the spigot to a position just beyond a first group of radial passages 17 (of which one is shown in Figure 1) extending from the said blind passage to the spigot periphery. In addition, a blind annular fluid inlet passage 18, formed in the spigot around and concentrically to the passage 16 extends from the said lower end face where it opens into the well 5, to a position short of the radial passages 17 where it communicates with a second group of radial passages 19 (of which one is shown in Figure 1) extending from the said blind passage to the spigot periphery. The two groups of radial passages are spaced apart lengthwise of the spigot, the passages of each group are located in a common plane transversely of the spigot and are spaced at equiangular distances apart, and each passage in one group is located between two passages of the other group. Further, the valve sleeve 13 is formed with two groups of ports 20 and 21 each group being located in the same transverse plane as a corresponding one of the two groups of radial spigot passages; the relative arrangement of radial passages and ports is such that when (as shown in the drawing) each port 21 is in register with the outlet end of a corresponding radial passage 19 of the passage group in the same plane, all the ports 24} are completely out of register with the radial passages 17 so that water supplied to the device through the inlet passage 3 may flow at full bore into the chamber 9, whereas the flow of water through the inlet passage 2 is cut ofl. However, rotary'movement of the valve sleeve by the thermosensitive element 11, takes the group of ports 21 gradually out of register with their corresponding radial passages 19, and as thistakes place the ports 20 commence to move into register with their corresponding passages 17 with the result that the flow of Water through the inlet passage 2 is initiated and increased gradually at the expense of the flow through the outlet passage 3 which is gradually reduced until it is out off. 7

A peripheral groove is formed in and around the enlarged diameter portion 14 of the spigot, another peripheral groove is formed in and around the co-axial projection 15 and a'resilient ring 22 and 23 respectively is accommodated in each groove, the said rings having crosssectional diameters greater than the depths of their respective grooves.

A spindle 14 formed integrally with the spigot, projectsfrom and concentrically of the upper end face of the said spigot, and a peripheral groove 25 is formed in and around the upper and free end of the said spindle upon the upper end face of the spigot and one of which is provided with depending tongue 39 this tongue engages a complementary recess in the upper edge of the valve sleeve to enable drive to be transmitted from the hub to the sleeve; the tongue 33* extends radially inwards of the sleeve into engagement with a pocket 12 in the upper end face and, periphery of the spigot 12 thereby limiting the rotary movement of the sleeve relatively to the spigot. The other and upper coil hub 29 is formed with a concentric upwards extension 31 having a peripheral groove formed therein, the said groove also being engaged by a resilient ring 3-2 of greater cross-sectional diameter than its depth. The spindle enters a blind axial bore in theupper coil hub, and is secured within the said 'borelby two parallel pins 33 which pass through the hub tangentially to, and engage in, the spindle groove ZS so that relative longitudinal movement is prevented, but relative rotational movement is permitted, between the hub 29 and spindle 24; The outermost turns of the two "coils whereupon by pulling the cover, the valve-and-element unit may be withdrawn from engagement with the well 5 and the port 6; then after dismantling the knob or handle 37 from the hub extension 31, the said unit may be removed from the cover by pushing upon the external end of the said extension. :A reversal of these operations, using a replacement unit which is in good Working order, restores the device to its normal operative condition.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that *1 have devised a novel, cfficient and simple type of unit which includes a proportioning valve and thermosensitive elementand which is capable of being installed in'a fluid mixing device, and of being replaced in, the event that any fault develops in the unit, in a simple, speedy and efiicient manner even by unskilled persons. Whilst the said description and drawing describes and illustrates respectively atypical and practical embodiment of myinventiomit is to be understood that departures may "be made therefrom,

' within the scope of the invention, which is not to be a limited to the details disclosed herein, but is to' be accorded the full ,scopeofthe claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent mixing devices. v What I claim is: r j p c -1 Afluid mixing valve compr sing a hollow base having .two fluid inlet'passagespa hollow cover removably seated on'said base, a proportionalmixing mechanism are secured respectively to the opposite ends of a strap 3 5a The pinning of'the upper coil hub 2% to the spindle 24 secondly, that the two coils are located in selected positions along the spincfle and, thirdly, that the sleeve is in a' selected position along the valve spigot.

' integral with the valve spigot, the seating of the radial 1 arms 30 upon the upper end face of thespigot, and the abutment of'the lower edge of the valve sleeve upon the shoulder around the lower spigot end, ensures, first, that Qthe several components are assembled as a single unit,

Further, the provision of the resilient rings 22, 23,;

around the spigot and the bored extension from the lower I spigot end. face," enables the spigot to make a close and fluidtight joint within a well '5 when thespigot is socketted into the mouth of the said well, and enables the projection to make a similar joint within the port 6 formed in the bottom of. the Well when the extension is socketted 7 into the said port; The pinning of the upper coil hubto the spindle enables the said two fluid tight joints to be made or broken simultaneously by pushingforpulling by hand, the upwards extension fromthe, said'hub, Without imposing any strain or stress upon the bimetallic coils 26,27, and without disturbing the relative relationship' between thevalve sleeve and spigot. To ensure that, when the spigot issockettedinto the'mouth of the p 1 well, the said spigot is unable torota te about its axis, a

pin l3 "(seeligure 2) projecting from and eccentrically of thelo'werend face of thesaid spigot, sockets into a complementary blindhole 1 in the bottom of the well.

- The resilient ring 35' in the extension 31 from'the upper coil hub enables the said extension, when inserted into an aperture '35 in the crown of the cover 8 to efiecta emovablyseated in said baseand communicating with said passages the interior of saidbase'and cover forming a mixing chamber, a control handle removably connectedto' said cover, a spindle detachably-connected between said handle and said mixing mechanism forvarying the base and wherein the, said spigot end sockets into.

and makes a fluid tight fitwithidthevzell, hasan annular. passageiopenin'g to the interior, of the welland communicating" withthe one of's aid inlets the base through an eccentric port in thebottom of the Well;

2. Adevice as'claimed in claim 1 wherein' the spigot end whichsc'ckets .into q the well is of larger diameter than the remainder of'thespigotand theuppef'edge of the said larger diameter end-prorides an annular seat for theadjacent edges o'f the valvefsleeveg 3. A device as claimed in cla m I, he; spigot extension 7 and the adjacent end of the spigot are each formed with fluid tight joint with'the said cover and also enables the said joint to be made or broken by a simple'manual push or pull action; as shown in Figure l: the "cover crown 1 seats upon a peripheral shonlder fl on the hub extension 31, when the said joint is made and the cover is' assembled a to the base}. 2

" Thesaid upwards extension" 31 is of a length greater 1, fthan' theth'ickness of the cover crownand, therefore] f-roje cts' beyond the" 'said;crown to the exterior of the device, where a handle or knob}? is assembled amide-1 hebl Shouldany fault develop in the proportioningvalve1t?, j v or the-thermosensitive elementl-i, it'isonly necessary to] disconnect the; cover irom'jthe ,basefofithe device ,I

p d *'2,3 19,.4l8fl secured thereto in anyknown and convenient V I g j a peripheral: groove and afsealing ring accommodated in the said groove effect respectively. fluid tight joints between the spigot and theyvall oflthe' well fand'between the spigot extension and the port in the bottomof thesaid well.

References Cited in m esiuiis patng 5 .UN En T-srATEs r rnurs g.

,ov'szr, 1939 ,1940 1943 1 .1949 

